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I had the pleasure of meeting Sara through work, and let me tell you, she is an amazing individual. Every bit of that comes through in this, her first published novel. I truly hope she writes (and publishes) more.

I think of it as a unique type of the 'coming of age' novel, where the main character grows in their understanding of the world around them and their place in it due to some unexpected event. It is unique because not only does Brynn grow herself, but most that interact with her also have these same experiences. Much like reality, there are others in the story that do NOT grow, and they only have themselves to blame. In telling the story, Sara manages to cover several topics of interest to the YA crowd: Interacting with people who are not quite themselves and alcohol abuse by teenagers. These are heavy topics, but are not presented to the reader like being hit with a sledgehammer - they are presented in very realistic situations that are well integrated into the plot and are not the least bit preachy. I think this should be required reading material for a Jr. High student.

The novel is well edited and formatted.

Why 4 Stars: The beginning of the book, pre-camp, seems a bit slow. We are presented with a first-person perspective of a character we don't know, interacting with people we don't know. We get more information about those people than Brynn herself. Sure, many of Brynn's personality traits come through, but we really don't REALLY get to know Brynn until she arrives in camp. I'd like to have seen the novel start with Brynn and her parents preparing for camp, and present the rest of the pre-story as flashbacks once we got to know Brynn a bit more (after the introduction of DAISY). If you think it is slow at the beginning, keep going, as it gets amazing after Brynn's arrival at camp.

SPOILER ALERT!!! Please do not read these until you have read the novel. I tried not to spoil all that much, but in talking about characters and their growth, reading my opinions may decrease your enjoyment of the novel as it progresses. Feel free to challenge me in the comments.

The head of the camp, JT, is quite an interesting character. First year on the job. Speech on the first day about the seriousness of the camp rules. Introduction of the DAISY (Discovering and Accepting Individuality in Society and Yourself) program. Yet, JT has absolutely no true understanding of this concept (or the rules), and absolutely none of his own 'coming of age' experience. I'm disappointed to see him just hanging out there unenlightened. Perhaps we'll see more of him, with some growth, in the future.

Brynn's cabin-mates and Christine. These characters pretty much behaved exactly as expected in the presence of someone like Brynn.

I can write a ton about Jonah. Everyone knows someone or two just like him. No growth, no desire for growth, no personal sense of responsibility to himself or others. He got off easy, but people like him tend to.

I'm not sure Tommy really grew all that much during the book, and he didn't need to. Tommy became who he is because of events that happened between camp last year and this year. He tried his best to make others grow a bit, but like reality, mere words do not cause personal growth - it is much more complex than that. Sure, he did grow a little, but it was not a coming of age moment for him.

Tommy's cabin-mates. These were the best. Why? Because they had a very realistic response. These folks chose not to interact with Brynn, even when their initial misconceptions were probably already dispelled by Tommy. They had a partial enlightenment, but while they are 'improved' at the end of the novel, it was only superficial, and thus flawed. The conversation about them between Brynn and Christine at the end was excellent. Far too many people today make just a very superficial change about their viewpoint but lack the ambition to take it to the next level of understanding - just like these kids do.

Fantastic work. Coming of age story that adults and teens will enjoy. Insightful look into the aspect of the high school years for a typical teen, in particular for one who happens to have a disability. Informative for those knowing, loving, caring for, enjoying life with and/or working with an bright individual with any of a wide range of disabilities which limit their ability to be fully independent physically. While reading it is easy to get to know the main character as a delightful teenager without focusing first on her handicap. Thank you Sara Pyszka.

I LOVE to read and my favorite books(the ones I read over and over) are ones where I feel like I'm apart of the story, where the characters come alive and I feel every emotion they experience. When they're mad, I'm mad, they're sad and I feel sad and when they're happy, I'm happy, and that's EXACTLY how it was with this book. I know that most people will take away that this book was about a girl who has CP and the things she deals with, but I think it's so much more then that. I feel like it's a book for anyone who's ever felt or is different then the so called normal people, just reading this book has made me feel that you can accomplish anything you've set your mind too, and I have enjoyed it more then I thought I would. Congrats Sara for writing an AHMAZING story and you have definitely won me as a fan and I will be looking forward to reading anything else you decide to write!

I chose this rating because the story finalizes with the perfect Pair being made. I would recommend this book to teens, young adults and parents. It has something for everyone. I highly recommend the book for young people persons with disabilities who feel they are treated differently. The book has many themes" Friendship, Love, Envy, Emotions, Insight into the feelings of those with disabilities, Compassion and good bit of drama.The concept of the Daisy gave the book a easy, contemporary feel. Very easy reading and fun.The ending is worth it all.

As soon as I heard Dancing Daisies was available I ordered a copy, and I am so glad that I did! Ms Pyszka has an extraordinary talent at making her readers crave more and fall in love. I started the book two days ago and finished it today with both sadness and much joy. Sadness because its over yet joyful for having added another favorite to my collection. I fell in love with the characters in Dancing Daisies almost immediately. I felt Brynn's pain, sadness, happiness and heartfelt love towards Tommy. I laughed, I cried, I truly felt as though I was a part of the story. Everyone, young and old, should read this beautifully written story!! I cannot wait for the next novel and I eagerly await its arrival! In one word... Incredible!!Thank you for a wonderful story!! ~Kelly W

This is a book is written from the perspective of a character not often seen (let alone given center stage) in YA lit - that of a high school student with a severe physical disability. The novel's narrator, Brynn, has cerebral palsy, a condition that requires her to use a wheelchair to get around and an electronic communication device to communicate, as well as help from aides, family and friends in order to do many of the everyday tasks that most people take for granted. Brynn's story really picks up once she gets to summer camp, a place outside of her comfort zone where she is challenged to be independent for the first time in her life, make friends with people who are not familiar with her disability, and learn how to be true to herself despite what anyone else may think about her. It's a unique spin on the young adult coming-of-age story because it provides such a fascinating look into the inner life of a teenager with a physical disability - a perspective that I've never before had the pleasure to read about, and one that I think has an important place in YA lit